As he made the "dead drop," 10 FBI agent's converged upon him, placing him under arrest. Hanssen was said to have exclaimed "What took you so long?" Bonnie Hanssen was taken into custody and interrogated but claimed she didn't believe her husband was a spy.

The Justice Department wanted to pursue the death penalty for the man they called the most damaging FBI turncoat in history.

Instead, in June 2001, Hanssen was able to cut a deal, receiving life in prison without the possibility of parole in return for providing full details of his actions. He claimed that he spied against his country in order to provide for his family and because of his resentment for being passed over for job promotions. He showed little remorse for his action and was sentenced on May 10, 2002 and assigned to the Federal prison in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.

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The Spy Who Stayed Out in the Cold The Secret Life of FBI Double Agent Robert Hanssen

The Bureau and the Mole The Unmasking of Robert Philip Hanssen

Into the Mirror The Life of Master Spy Robert P. Hanssen